Home // Antoine Stories // Ardeth Stories // Character Stories // Oded Stories // UC Undercover Stories //

“Congratulations,” said the doctor. “I notified the Health Department, and they told me that you are the first human case of West Nile Virus in the state of Illinois!”

Ardeth gave him an exasperated look.

“Well, you look like you’re doing better,” said the doctor, cheerfully. “Feel any better?”

“A little.”

“That’s better then not at all,” the doc said, rummaging through a drawer. Walking over, he popped a thermometer in Ardeth’s mouth, who had no idea what he was supposed to do with it. No one gave him instructions, so he simply sat there with the strange object hanging out of his mouth, while the doctor rolled up Ardeth’s sleeve to take more blood.

“Whoops,” said the doc. “Sorry about that.”

Looking down, Ardeth saw a bruise at the site of the blood test the doctor had done the other day. He frowned, wondering how a tiny needle could cause a bruise to surround the area.

The doctor took the blood from his right arm, this time pressing the gauze hard over the tiny hole, to stop internal bleeding before it began. “You shouldn’t get a bruise this time,” he said.

“Mank moof,” Ardeth said, the thermometer still in his mouth.

Alex and Monica laughed, at his attempt to thank the doctor, as the doc took the thermometer, chuckling himself.

“Still have a fever,” the doc said. “But it’s low. Should go away soon.”

“How much longer should he stay out of work? The whole week?” Alex asked.

Before answering, he looked at Ardeth. “Muscles still hurt? Head? Neck? Feel weak? You still look tired.” At Ardeth’s nods to each question, the doctor looked at Alex.

“I would advise it, yeah. West Nile is nothing to fool around with, especially in someone with a compromised immune system. Is he almost out of the medicine?”

Alex and Monica both nodded.

The doctor wrote up a new prescription, and handed it to Monica. “Have him finish both bottles, and set another appointment for, say, Thursday.”

Monica nodded, taking the paper.

“Okay, son,” said the doc. “You’re free to go, back into the care of the two lovely ladies.”

Ardeth’s only answer to that was a sigh.

Alex and Monica laughed. “If you only knew, doc,” said Alex.

“He hates to be mother-henned,” Monica told him.

The doctor *tsk tsked*, with a smile, as they left.

********************

It took them a day and a half to reach the Med-jai camp. When they pulled up, Rick got out, looking for Ardeth’s second in command.

“Rick!”

Rick turned around, nearly bumping into Safti.

“What are you doing here? Did Ardeth meet you at the ruins?” Safti said, shaking his hand.

Rick sighed. “Yeah…he did.”

Safti picked up on his worried tone immediately. “What happened?”

Rick sighed. “He’s unconscious, in the car. I thought it was better telling you this way instead of barreling into the camp and alarming everyone."

Safti nodded, with a nervous sigh, as he quickly followed Rick back to the vehicle. His nervousness doubled when he saw his cheif and friend completely limp, lying across Evy's lap. He could see the tears in her eyes, and knew that it had to be serious.

“What happened?” he asked, as he opened the car door, looking his friend over for a wound.

“We aren’t sure,” Evy said. “We were all just standing there, looking at the pillars, when what I thought was lightning flashed, and hit him.”

Safti’s jaw dropped. “Lightning?! Was there a storm?”

She shook her head with a frown, as Safti and Rick quickly carried him to a healer’s tent, which was thankfully close by. They were grateful that it was dark enough for the tribe to not realize what was going on.

“Heat lightning?” Safti asked.

“There was only the one flash,” Jonathan told him, watching as they laid their friend down. “It happened less then a half hour after he arrived.”

Safti looked at him, in shock. “He has been unconscious for three days?!”

Everyone nodded.

Safti sighed, deeply. “I will return with the healer.”

The O’Connell’s sighed as Safti left. As much as they were relieved to now have Ardeth in the care of his people, they were afraid that whatever the healer found would not be good.

Evy saw a pitcher of water, and grabbed it, carefully dribbling water between Ardeth’s lips, as they waited for Safti to come back.

Safti returned quickly with an old woman, who looked at her patient in anguished concern. “What has he gotten into now?” she mumbled, quickly kneeling beside him.

They watched as the woman thoroughly examined Ardeth, noting the occasional sighs she emitted. Finally she sat back on her knees, with another sigh.

“Well?” Evy said, impatiently.

“I can not find a reason for his prolonged unconsciousness,” she said. “Was it exactly as Safti told me? You left nothing out?”

They shook their heads. “I was with him,” said Rick. “We were talking. Suddenly, wham! Flash of bright light, and when I could see again, he was lying on the sand.”

The old woman just sat there, looking at Rick, thinking.

“Shatira?” said Safti, when the silence continued.

“Did you notice any clouds in the sky?” she asked.

The O’Connell’s looked at each other, shaking their heads.

“There was full sunlight, I had to shield my eyes while trying to read the pillars,” Evy said.

“There were no clouds,” Jonathan stated. “I was looking up at the sky right before it happened.”

Everyone looked at him, as if wondering why.

He gave them a sheepish look. “It was so bloody hot I was wishing we were in England. You know, cool, wet…”

“This does not sound consistent with a lightning strike,” Shatira concluded. “Especially taking into account that he has not a mark on him.”

“Yeah, we wondered about that too,” said Rick.

“So what do we do?” Jonathan asked.

Shatira shook her head. “I am not sure. You say you were merely talking when it happened?”

Rick nodded.

“Do you think it has something to do with the ruins?” Evy suddenly asked.

Shatira made a face as if to say, ‘perhaps’.

“Oh great,” Rick moaned. “More unexplained ancient traps!”

“So are you saying we have to take Ardeth back there, and try to recreate what happened in the hope that it’ll bring him back?” Evy asked.

Shatira nodded. “It is a possibility.”

“Okay, then. When do we leave?” said Rick, impatiently.

Safti sighed. He wanted to leave at that very moment, but he knew the O’Connell’s had to be tired. “Tomorrow, after a good night’s rest.”

The O’Connell’s nodded, understanding Safti’s reasoning, but they all knew they wouldn’t get much sleep that night.

********************

By Thursday, Ardeth was feeling much better. Alex took him to the doctor again, who pronounced that he was recovering nicely and didn't have to see him again, to Ardeth's relief. Alex took him home and told him to get more rest, as he'd be back to chasing criminals around the state all too soon.

Ardeth earnestly hoped the O'Connell's would figure out how to get him back before then. He honestly had no idea what he would do if he had to work at Frank's job.

With a sigh, he went to the fridge to get some orange juice. Opening the door, he saw that the bottle only had a little left. I can not ask Alex to get me some, he thought. I am not as sick as I was, there's no reason I can not get it myself. He realized that he was going to have to drive Frank's car if he were to remain in the future much longer, so he might as well get used to it now.

Looking around for the keys, he found them on a table in the living room, next to a strange looking black leather object. Opening it, Ardeth found a card with his picture on it and money. Looking at the card, Ardeth realized it was something he obviously needed to keep with him. ‘Illinois Driver's License’ was written on it, and he tried to figure out what the numbers meant. "Donor: yes?" Donating what? he wondered. "Blood type, O+." I wonder if mine is the same? He stuck the license back in, putting the wallet in a pocket.

He sighed nervously as he went down to the parking garage, and over to Frank's car. He looked at it for a minute, noting the absolute perfect shape it was in. I hope it still is, after I have gone back to my time. He had been there a full week now, but he tried to stay optimistic that his friends would somehow discover how to get him back.

Ardeth figured out which key unlocked the door, and he opened it and got in. He sighed in relief that Rick had showed him how to drive his car a few times, as he looked for the ignition. The inside of this car was very different; the steering wheel being on the left side, rather then the right like in Rick's.

He found the ignition, and tried each key until the car came alive, humming softly. Ardeth went to put his foot on the clutch, but couldn't find it. Frowning, he looked at the floor to see only two pedals. Confused, he looked to see if it was somewhere else, but saw nothing. Maybe a clutch is no longer needed? Looking at the shift between the seats, he saw that it could be placed in park, reverse, neutral, drive, 1 and 2. He saw no indication of gears, so he figured his assumption was correct; that there was no clutch. Looking over to the glove box, he reached over and opened it, hoping there was a manual inside. Seeing a booklet, he took it out. "2002 Volvo S80," he read. With a sigh of relief, he opened it. "Congratulations on owning the finest luxury car the world has to offer." Skipping over the pleasantries, he looked for information that he could use.

Reading the manual quickly, he found out much that he needed to know, and understood it all, surprisingly; thanks to Frank's mind still inhabiting his body, no doubt. Ardeth put the car in drive, and slowly crept out of the parking garage. He tried to remember where the market he'd seen was located, and took a right turn, onto the main road. Red means stop, yellow means slow, green means go… A few minutes later, he somehow managed to find the store, the car thankfully still in one piece.

The inside of the market surprised him, to say the least; he couldn't believe all the shelves full of so many different foods. He knew that buying anything more then orange juice wasn't a good idea; for Frank would be stuck with what Ardeth had bought, and it might be a waste of his money. Not to mention he won't understand why 'he' bought it in the first place. Ardeth wandered around until he finally found the orange juice, and took the gallon to the checkout, without even thinking of where it was. I hope Frank's mind also helps me when it comes time for me to pay, he thought.

The young girl at the counter rang up the juice. "2.79."

Ardeth looked in Frank's wallet, hoping he would know how much to give her, but nothing came into his mind.

The cashier watched in shock when Ardeth took out a wad of bills, taking off the one on top.

"Is this enough?" he asked, holding up a $100.

"Uh…" the girl said, her mouth hanging open.

"I am sorry," said Ardeth, speaking with his own accent, rather then Frank's lighter one. "I do not know American money."

"Oh," she said. "Do you have any smaller bills?"

Ardeth flipped through them, and held up a $50. "Small enough?"

Man, this guy's rich! The cashier thought. And gorgeous! "Umm, anything smaller?"

"Let me help you, son," said a voice behind him.

Turning, Ardeth saw an old woman, who smiled at him. "All right," he said, hanging her the whole wad of bills, to her surprise.

"Let's see," said the woman, flustered to see that he had more large bills then small ones. "Aha, you have three $1's, but you also have three $5's," she said. "If you pay with the $1's, you'll have none left. If you pay with a $5, you'll get two $1's back, and some change, so now you'll have 5 $1's. Does that make sense to you?"

Ardeth hung on her every word, and nodded to show her that he did understand.

"Good," she said with a smile, handing him back his money, and patting him on the arm.

"Thank you," he said. "Or, as they say in my country, 'shukran'."

Her smile grew. "You're very welcome."

Ardeth gave the cashier the money, and got back his change. Taking his orange juice, he went back out to the car, and got in it with a sigh. The woman who'd helped him reminded him of his grandmother. I must get back home! he thought, sadly. His headache, which had finally dwindled, suddenly increased, and he wondered if it was due to his distress, or if his body was trying to tell him that it wasn't recovered enough to go out yet. Probably both, he thought. Good thing I only came for one item, he thought, as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

When he pulled into Frank's regular spot in the parking garage, Ardeth sighed in utter relief that he had driven the car without incident, and couldn’t help but wish that the Volvo S80 was around in his time. He suddenly saw Alex and Jake walking towards the door to the building. Alex spotted him, and they walked over.

"Where did you go?" she asked, before she saw the bottle of OJ. "We would've gotten that for you! How do you feel?

"I'm all right, Alex," he said, as they walked into the building.

She studied him, as if trying to tell if he was lying, but said nothing more until they reached Frank's door, and went inside.

"We had a phone call from Chief Morgan," Jake said.

Ardeth looked at him, as he poured some juice into a glass, wondering who Jake was talking about.

"He wants you to do an undercover stint for him."

Ardeth took a deep breath, trying to calm his suddenly racing heart. "What does the job entail?" he asked, as he sat on the couch with his drink.

"Officer Tony Merlino was going undercover as a drug dealer," Jake continued, sitting in the chair across from the couch. "To take out one of the worst drug kingpins in the state; Tito Montoya. Turned out Merlino's father-in-law died, and he has to go out of state for the funeral, and can't make the meet."

"When is 'the meet'?" Ardeth asked.

"Tonight."

Ardeth nearly choked on his juice. Why am I so nervous, it can't be much different then what I do as a Med-jai, he thought.

"I told him you were sick. He hadn't known," Jake continued. "Can you believe it, a cop that doesn't watch the news?" he said, with a laugh.

Ardeth frowned. I made the news because I was sick? Ah, the doctor said I was the first case of West Nile in the state…

"Morgan told me that Montoya hadn't seen the cop, only knowing him by his description; 6'1, dark hair, goatee."

They both looked at him, and Ardeth figured out why. "Sounds like me."

"Exactly," said Alex.

Ardeth understood why they wanted Frank to do the job. Feeling that he had no choice, he nervously agreed.

********************

Rick, Evy, Jonathan, Safti, and Shatira rode through the desert in Rick's car, with the still unconscious Ardeth.

"I think you're right, Shatira," Evy said. "This must be the answer. For Ardeth to be unconscious for four days makes no sense, otherwise."

Shatira nodded.

"So if that beam emitted from one of the pillars, what exactly do you think it did to him?" Jonathan asked. "I mean, it must've served some purpose...most likely a bad one..."

They all looked to Shatira, not having thought of that.

Shatira sighed. "We will not know until Ardeth awakens. I have not heard of anything like this having ever occurred, at those ruins."

"It figures that we'd be the first," Rick said, over his shoulder as he drove.

They arrived a few hours later, late in the night. 

Rick stopped the car, facing the spot where he and Ardeth had been standing, keeping his car's lights on to illuminate the area.

Everyone got out, Evy remaining with Ardeth.

"He was standing right here," said Rick, walking to the spot.

Safti and Shatira looked around the place that Rick indicated, but it was too dark to see much.

"It appears we shall have to wait till morning," Shatira told them.

Evy sighed, upon hearing that. She wanted nothing more then for Ardeth to wake up. It was nearly impossible to get water into him; they'd had to do with trickling drops between his lips. If he remained unconscious much longer, he would die from dehydration.

********************

"Tito Montoya," said Monica, standing in front of the table that the rest of the team sat at. "Big time drug kingpin. Has reportedly supplied drugs to dealers in all of the Midwestern states, but the cops could never catch him in the act. Whenever they searched the house he was living in, they never found a single thing to implicate him. When they found him here in Illinois, they got lucky enough to get an officer in his circle through one of Montoya's regulars. Frank, that's where you come in."

Ardeth nodded, sighing inwardly.

"Your name will be, conveniently, Frankie," she continued.

"Frankie!" Cody snorted. He spared a glance at Frank, expecting to get a glare from his boss, but instead saw a slight smile, to his surprise.

"Frankie Vasquez is the name Merlino was using. You're to meet Montoya at the dock of Lake Michigan tonight at 10pm," Monica told him.

Ardeth sighed again. He was still tired, not yet recovered from his illness. By 10pm he'd likely be more asleep then awake.

"You all right, Frank?" Alex asked, seeing his weariness. "You're not up to this," she stated, before he had a chance to answer. "Let me call Morgan, and tell him you can't do it…"

"Alex," Ardeth said, exhaling loudly. "I have to do it. If there was someone else, Morgan would've asked them."

Alex sighed, herself, having a bad feeling about the whole thing.

********************

"Frank?"

Ardeth opened his eyes, to see Jake standing above him. "It's almost time to go."

Ardeth nodded, sitting up. Alex had convinced him to get some sleep on the couch, before the job. Ardeth had thought it a good idea, hoping that when he awoke he'd be more alert, and free of the headache.

To Ardeth's dismay, he found that the headache was no better at all, and instead of feeling alert, he felt groggy. He rubbed his hands over his face with a soft groan, forgetting he was being watched.

"Frank?"

He looked up into the faces belonging to all four members of his team. "I'm fine," he said, before anyone had a chance to ask.

"No you're not," said Alex, as adamant as usual. "Call it off. So what if he isn't caught tonight? We'll have another chance someday."

At that, Ardeth shook his head. "No, Alex. I won't allow him to go free when we could take him down and end his drug business! People will die, if we don't do this." He blinked, realizing that Frank Donovan was talking, not Ardeth Bay.

"You could die, if we do do this," Alex said, softly. "You're not recovered yet! Do you know how pale you still look?"

Ardeth sighed and stood; wordlessly taking the gun from her that she’d loaded for him. He put it in his holster and took the tiny voice receiver that Cody handed him, sticking it to the underside of the collar on his shirt. He did it all without even thinking, realizing that Frank's mind seemed to be taking over. "I'll be fine, Alex," he said, picking up the black suit jacket, and putting it on.

Alex shook her head, with a sigh. This was Frank's job, and he was good at it. There was nothing she could do to stop him.

********************

Ardeth stood at the dock, looking out over the lake. There was a chill in the air, and it was dead quiet. The silence served to make him more nervous about the situation; he wasn't sure if he would be able to pull it off. He had to be an actor, and convince Montoya that he was just another drug dealer; not a cop, and certainly not a person that didn't know how to be the cop that he supposedly was.

Suddenly Ardeth heard footsteps, and his heartbeat quickened. Donovan, if you are in there, you have my permission to take over; for now, at least. Turning around, he saw two men approaching, and tried to appear nonchalant.

"Frankie Vasquez," said the man in front, a short, slightly overweight man with slicked-back hair, and more then a hint of a Spanish accent.

"Tito Montoya," Ardeth replied, as they shook hands.

"Hola! You're just as I pictured ya," Montoya said. Then he gestured to Ardeth’s jacket. "What's with the piece?"

Piece? Ardeth realized Montoya meant his gun. "With a job like this, a guy's gotta have protection," he said, without thinking. Keep talking, Frank! he thought.

Montoya laughed. "True. But even so, I'd rather hold onto it until the conclusion of our transaction." He reached over and took it out of Ardeth’s shoulder holster, handing it to his goon.

Ardeth tried not to show his anxiety. "Where's the stuff?" Stuff?

"Elsewhere," Montoya said. "Follow me, por favor."

"Crap!" said Cody, from inside the van, where they were all listening. "They're taking him somewhere!"

"And they took his gun!" said Monica, nervously.

"I told Frank not to do it," Alex moaned. "I told him…"

"Shhh!" said Jake.

Montoya and the other man lead Ardeth to a brand new Lincoln Town Car. They got in, with the unnamed man driving.

Montoya said nothing during the trip, and so Ardeth likewise kept quiet, staring out the window, knowing that the team was following—discreetly—in the van.

They pulled up to a big, fancy house, and got out of the car. Ardeth followed Montoya in—Montoya's goon behind him, blocking any chance of escape, Ardeth assumed—and they stopped at a door, which Montoya opened, beckoning Ardeth inside.

Ardeth walked in quickly, and turned to face Montoya, wondering what he was planning. His mind—or was it Frank’s mind?—was screaming, Trap! He watched as Montoya whispered something to the other man, who left the room, closing the door behind him.

"So, how do you like this room? Fascinating, no?"

Ardeth pretended he suspected nothing, and looked around. The room was full of weapons. Mounted on the walls were swords of every kind, as well as dueling pistols, crossbows, even a battle-axe and a mace.

"You're a weapons collector," Ardeth stated.

Montoya nodded. "That's right. But you already knew that, polizonte. Cop."

Ardeth felt his blood run cold. He made a face as if he didn't know what Montoya was talking about. "Cop?" he started to laugh. Monica said nothing about Montoya collecting weapons…

Montoya laughed too. "That’s right: cop. C-O-P. You know, the boys in blue who like to put law abiding citizens like myself in jail."

Law abiding?! Ardeth opened his mouth to dispute that, but then closed it, knowing that Montoya was trying to bait him into giving himself away.

Montoya saw that his trick didn't work, and started walking through the room. "No matter how many times the cops search my place, wherever I happen to be living, they never find anything. Nada, ninguno cualquiera!"

Ardeth was getting so nervous that he didn't even realize that he was understanding the Spanish words Montoya was speaking. "Look, mi amigo, I'm no cop. I'm just another 'law abiding citizen' like yourself, who likes to make money the easy way." The last statement was repulsive to Ardeth, but he was glad that Frank's mind was putting the words in his mouth.

"Oh yeah?" said Montoya, stopping at the far end of the wall, and turning to face Ardeth. "Prove it."

********************

“I would like for you all to reenact exactly what occurred that day, before the incident,” said Shatira.

“Well, I was standing here,” said Evy, walking over to the pillar. “And Ardeth came over, and I asked him what these symbols meant.”

Shatira and Safti followed, and peered at them. “And what did he tell you?” Safti asked.

“He didn’t know.”

Safti nodded. “No one knows.”

“That’s what he said.” Evy sighed. “So then he went off with Rick, and I stayed here.”

Everyone turned to Rick.

“Right,” he said. “Ardeth and I walked over here, shooting the breeze, you know, talking about stuff.” He walked, and stopped. “This is where we stopped, and…” he thought.

“What?” asked Shatira.

Rick made a face, as he remembered. “He looked at this pillar.”

Everyone went closer, including Evy, who, when halfway there, turned and went back to her spot, remembering that she was supposed to stay there.

Safti and Shatira noticed that the same symbols from the other pillar were also on this one.

“Which direction did the beam come from?” Safti asked.

“Uhh...” said Rick. “That way, I think…yeah, he was lying on his back facing this way, so I guess it came from...that pillar.”

Everyone looked to where he was pointing, to see the tallest pillar of all. Nearly at the top was what looked like a small opening.

“So the beam shot out of that bloody hole!” Jonathan exclaimed.

“It appears so,” said Shatira. “Where were you, Jonathan?”

“Oh, I was over there,” he gestured. “Doing nothing.”

“Well, can you please go over there and reenact your ‘doing nothing’?” she asked.

Jonathan started to laugh, before realizing she was serious. “Right.”

Shaking his head at Jonathan as he left, Rick said, “So how do we get the thing to shoot the beam again? And how do we get it to hit Ardeth while he’s lying there out cold?”

Everyone was silent for a minute, before Safti asked, “What exactly did Ardeth do right before the beam hit him?”

Rick shook his head, with a deep sigh. “I dunno, he walked over to the pillar,” he said, doing the same. “He looked at the symbols, and…he touched them.”

Shatira perked up. “He touched them?”

Rick nodded, with a shrug. “Yeah, but we all touched the pillars before he got here.”

“Yes, but if he touched those symbols, and Evy touched the same ones on the other pillar at the same time, perhaps…”

“It’s worth a shot!” said Rick, excitedly. “So we gotta get him over to this thing, and have Evy touch the symbols on the one over there, and see what happens.”

“Yes,” Shatira said. “It is ‘worth a shot’, as you said.”

Rick and Safti headed over to the tent wherein Ardeth lay. “How are we gonna stand him in the same spot he was in without getting hit ourselves?” Rick asked the Med-jai.

Safti looked at him, and sighed. “I am not sure.”

“You think if we hold him up, and then let go when the beam shoots, we’ll be able to catch him again before he hits the ground?” Rick asked.

Safti gave Rick the Med-jai version of a shrug. “I fear that may be the only way for us to do it.”

“Yeah,” Rick agreed, as he and Safti picked Ardeth up, and carried him over.

“Uhh,” they heard Jonathan’s disembodied voice shout. “Since I obviously play no part in this, may I come out now?”

Shatira smiled at the Englishman’s silliness. “Yes, Jonathan, you may come out!”

Jonathan ran over, with a sheepish look. “Phew. It was good to hear that I had nothing to do with the old boy’s problem.” He made a face and looked behind himself to make sure Evy hadn’t heard him.

She apparently hadn’t, as she watched from where she stood, her palm on the pillar.

Rick and Safti held Ardeth up on either side, and Safti took Ardeth’s arm, preparing to touch his hand to the symbols…

********************

“Well, Cody?!”

“I’m trying! I’m trying!”

The UC team was nearly beside themselves, hearing the conversation between Frank and Montoya, but not being able to see what was going on.

“BWAHAHAHA! Bingo!” Cody yelled.

Everyone gathered around him, to see the inside of the room that Frank and Montoya were in.

“Good thing he’s got cameras! There’s none in the world that I can’t digitally infiltrate!” Cody said, proudly.

“Shut up!” Alex hissed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Through Another's Eyes - continued